Refuge by K. J. Colt

Author:K. J. Colt [Colt, K. J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Fantasy
Published: 2014-01-03T05:00:00+00:00

Hours had passed, and I kept to the tree line, fighting my exhaustion. I still had not slept since arriving in Fin Town earlier that morning. The aches and pains in my body disrupted my focus, and I remembered the dragonclaw hidden in my pockets. The need to take some overwhelmed me, but if I did I would fall asleep on the snow and the cold of night would kill me. Directly ahead, I could see the pirate ship out to sea. To the right, Gholchop’s men each held torches, and they had positioned themselves along the shoreline with bows and arrows. The rest waited on the dock, swords drawn, spears raised and ready.

At midnight, the air grew even cooler. The warriors on guard were replaced with fresh men. I knew this drill well. I imagined myself as one of those sentries, freshly awoken from a day’s sleep and ready to fight. My eyelids closed, and I could not open them again. I put my cold hands on the snow, waited a moment, then placed my icy fingers against my face and gasped. My eyelids parted, and I held onto the feeling of wakefulness as long as I could.

More time passed. My chin fell to my chest. I straightened abruptly, knowing I’d fallen asleep. A twig snapped behind me. As I spun around, a figure jumped at me and knocked me onto the snowy ground. I lay on my back with Gobbles’s bulky head hovering above me. Steam from his panting rose up to meet the tree tops. His eyes were wide and expectant. ‘Thanks,’ I said sarcastically, pushing the dog’s head away from my face.

‘You’re welcome,’ Margan said. He appeared from behind Gobbles. ‘You must be cold.’

I stood quickly, brushing myself off and trying to regain my dignity. ‘I’m fine.’ My fingers and toes were numb, my vision blurry from fatigue.

He took a step toward me and held out his hand. I just stared at him.

He dropped his hand to his side. ‘What are you going to do, stay out here all night? You’re exhausted, Klawdia. Surely you see that.’

I gritted my teeth and stood quickly, but spots appeared in my vision and I stumbled to the left. Margan jumped forward to steady me, and I felt his warm, strong hands. He smelled like hot summer rain and oak. When I looked into his eyes, he let go of me and took a step back. ‘Forgive me. I didn’t want you to fall.’

I turned toward the dark ship still sitting on the ocean. ‘It hasn’t moved.’

‘Whoever they are… they wait for dawn. If it were an attack, they would have just sailed in at night.’

I relaxed my stance a little and looked back at him.

Dark circles had formed under his eyes, and his hair, which had been straight and combed that morning, was knotted and scruffy. ‘You’ve been trying to find me for me for a while, haven’t you?’

Margan lowered his eyes to his hands and interlocked his fingers. ‘Yes.

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